Saturday, January 28, 2012

Album Review: A Loss for Words/Such Gold - Split

Rating: B-

A Loss for Words and Such Gold come together for a 7" split through No Sleep and Mightier Than Sword Records. Though short, the release is great fun with a polished sound but a local band feel that fans of pop punk will definitely enjoy jamming out to.
A Loss for Words’ half of the split is energetic and pretty catchy. Though extremely chord driven, they do incorporate an acoustic guitar into their repertoire alongside the distorted lead guitar that feels organic and refreshing. The lyrics are pretty generic but A Loss for Words isn’t known for great poetry. Poppy and fun, A Loss for Words’ side is easy to listen to but doesn’t keep me coming back for more.

Such Gold’s half is much more interesting, featuring much more deviation from generic pop punk themes. Definitely flaunting their hardcore influence, vocalist Ben Kotin mixes a hardcore shout into his semi-melodic approach in an enjoyable fashion. The group really works themselves into furious jams during the bridge of “Scoreboard” and the end of "Backyard" that are exciting and memorable. Bringing the heat with some creativity but still maintaining an upbeat attitude, Such Gold provides a nice spectrum of vibes for the listener.

The production of the release is really crisp and professional sounding. Both sides are mixed similarly which makes the “7 feel cohesive rather than just two different bands on one release. The tones on Such Gold’s side are particularly enjoyable. The gain on the guitars works really well for both the lead lines and the crunchy chords. Ultimately, the split is a short and shallow but very entertaining effort that’s definitely worth a few spins.